Fake doctor crackdown: Mumbai crime branch acts against 5 for alleged illegal practice

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch, in coordination with medical officers from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has taken action against five people allegedly practising medicine without the required qualifications or registration in Govandi, Deonar and Bandra. 

The action was carried out by Crime Branch Units 6 and 8 as part of a crackdown on clinics allegedly providing medical treatment without valid authorisation. According to police, none of the five people was registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council.

The accused were allegedly operating clinics in various parts of the city and treating patients without the necessary licence to practise allopathic medicine. Police said some of the individuals held BHMS qualifications but were allegedly prescribing or administering allopathic medicines.

In two cases involving practitioners operating clinics in Govandi, police issued notices and directed them to keep only homoeopathic medicines at their establishments. The practitioners were not arrested and were released after the action. 

Police also seized medicines and medical equipment valued at around Rs 1.19 lakh during the operation. The seized items reportedly included injections, syringes, antibiotics, blood pressure monitors, glucometers, nebulisers, stethoscopes and other equipment allegedly being used for patient care. 

One of the cases under investigation involves a clinic in Bandra East, where police reportedly found four patients waiting for treatment during the action. The person running the clinic allegedly told investigators that he had studied only up to Class 12 and did not possess a recognised medical qualification.

Police said he reportedly produced certain medical certificates that he claimed had been issued by the Maharashtra Council of Indian Medicine and the All India Ayurveda Vidyapeeth. Investigators suspect that these certificates may be fake. 

The Crime Branch has also taken action against other clinic operators in the Deonar and Govandi areas. Two of the five accused were arrested, while notices were issued to others, according to the police.

According to a report by India TV News, the Crime Branch and BMC medical officers conducted action against five clinics allegedly operating as regular medical centres without the necessary registrations. Four of the clinics were located in Zakir Hussain Nagar in Deonar and the Govandi area, while another was located in the Naigaon-Bandra East area. Police said none of the five accused was registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council. The alleged practitioners were reportedly examining and treating patients despite not having the necessary licence to practise allopathic medicine.

The investigation is underway to determine the qualifications and registration status of the accused, the manner in which the clinics were operating and whether patients were treated with medicines they were not legally authorised to prescribe.